Driving in Nouakchott

I can’t not write about the driving situation here in Nouakchott. It’s a huge adventure. It’s unclear whether there just aren’t any rules of the road, or whether there are rules of the road, but everyone just chooses to ignore them.

Essentially, everyone drives as if they’re the only car on the road. They pull out, back up, turn, drive through intersections and around traffic circles regardless of the proximity of any other car. Pushier vehicles have the right of way every time. If a car at the back of a line of traffic gets tired of waiting, the driver will simply pull out onto the side of the road or into the oncoming lane of traffic and blow past all the stopped cars. The saving grace in all of this is that everyone sort of goes with it. If you pull out in front of someone, they slow down. If someone swerves around you and cuts you off, you hit the brakes. Plus, the roads are pretty bad so no one drives particularly fast, so wrecks are apparently generally limited to fender benders.

The best strategy for successfully navigating the non-rules of the road has been described to me as “patient, but aggressive.” You have to be patient, or you’ll get in an accident. But you have to be aggressive, or you’ll never get anywhere. The bottom line here is that driving becomes like navigating an obstacle course.

So far I have only seen 2 intersections with stoplights. But, like other rules of the road, they seem optional.